Words Worth Noting - January 24, 2023

“Finnish community artists Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, 35, and Tellervo Kalleinen, 32, came up with the idea three years ago... the Finnish word valituskuoro... translates into ‘complaints choir’ and refers to people complaining in packs... ‘And then we got excited about this term and said, “Hey this would be really funny to make a real complaints choir”’ that sings about their gripes, said Mr. Kochta-Kalleinen.... they were able to test out the idea in Birmingham, England, where they were invited for a two-week artists’ residency... ‘Then we heard complaints that Birmingham was a very ugly city ... and we thought if it’s so ugly then it’s the perfect place to start a complaints choir.’ So they did…. People who answered the call for choir members came up with a dizzying variety of complaints – from the personal to the political. Selections were edited down and then a local musician was called in to put the gripes to an original score. The Birmingham choir had two successful performances, one in a local hall and another on the street. The second gig culminated in a celebration at a pub where the choir did an impromptu performance griping about the price of the beer – but to no avail. After the success of the Birmingham choir, groups formed in places such as Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Hamburg and Melbourne.... There is now a website (http://complaintschoir.org) telling people how to set up their own choirs. So what’s the most unusual complaint that Mr. Kochta-Kalleinen has heard? ‘In Finland we had a woman who complained that her dreams are boring,’ he recalled.”

Globe & Mail November 14, 2007